2021 Reboot Coming Soon

TO BE REBOOTED IN 2021!

[decibelcoatl]

OTP Challenge Day 8: Shopping

Nothing like a good ol’ shopping spree with your s/o to give the both of you some time off, right? Right!

Anther (the Sawsbuck) is owned by @sanngot. Zola (the Zorua) is owned by me

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as ‘me’ or ‘kin’ nor tag Zola as your character! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[decibelcoatl]

Daily Doodles #22

It’s Team Firelight, from the good ol’ days of PMD-E! Thought I’d draw them in a group photo to commemorate their eleventh anniversary!

Also, friendly reminder that you can read their 69-page finale that was done for their previous anniversary >>>RIGHT HERE<<<

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as ‘me’ or ‘kin’ nor as your character(s). Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[decibelcoatl]

Daily Doodle #11

Thought about Team Firelight all day (especially since their anniversary is coming up on the 22nd), so here’s Emily chowing down on some yummy curry!

I think, out of all four Firelight teammates, Emily is pretty much the closest we have to a typical shounen anime protagonist…which fits her personality well, all things considered.

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as ‘me’ or ‘kin’ nor as your character! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[decibelcoatl]

Daily Doodle #7

“The brightest smile hides the deepest pain inside.” - Nandhini Elumalai

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as ‘me’ or ‘kin’ nor as your character! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[decibelcoatl]

Daily Doodle #6

Today was hot as hell, and it’s supposed to get even hotter tomorrow. So here’s Emily being a mood and feeling like death (she grew up in a cold region, so she doesn’t tolerate heat very well either).

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as ‘me’ or ‘kin’ nor as your character! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[decibelcoatl]

I never thought I'd see the day when my two classic PMD OC's would end up getting Hisuian Forms...but here we are!

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as 'me' or 'kin' nor as your characters! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[ask-team-firelight]

PMD-E related

[ask-team-firelight]

Team Firelight Finale: Shine On, Firelight - Prologue III

As soon as Emily finished her backstory and the surprising revelation it brought, she received some mixed reactions, mostly of surprise and compliment. Zola had already known about Emily's identity a long time ago, while Clover was able to figure it out. It was Ashtar who was surprised that Emily was a boy all along, but chose to identify as a girl instead. Emily shot back by saying that he hadn't told his story yet.

Ashtar found himself frozen in place. The Eevee was right; until now, he had never spoken even a single word about his past to anyone. Not Neon, his fiancée, nor his own teammates. The only thing he said was that he grew up in the Sandsong Desert, and that was it.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and reluctantly began to tell his well-guarded tale at long last...

Prologue, Part 3: Ashtar's Origins

Ashtar was born to a very wealthy family, in a very wealthy manor in a very wealthy city in the Sandsong Desert. His mother was an Arcanine named Ashford, the daughter of the renowned head of the Shaleston family, while his father was a lowly Boltund who was only married into the family by obligation. However, Ashtar was not an only child, as he had four sisters: Tessa, a Growlithe like him and his only older sister (as well as the eldest); Bella and Ella, two Yamper who were born as twins; and Sara, the youngest sister who was born mute. As the eldest sibling, Tessa was destined to become the next heiress to the Shaleston family household, which meant owning all the inheritance. It was a pressuring responsibility, but Ashtar supported her with everything he had.

Of course, there was always one major drawback to being wealthy as all get-out - and that drawback came in the form of a big target painted on the backs of the Shaleston family. Crime syndicates, assassins, outlaws, and bandits often tried to steal away the treasure trove they held in their well-concealed treasure room. However, this room could only be accessed by a passcode, one which only the Shaleston family knew and kept to themselves, including Ashtar.

In spite of this, only one Pokémon had actually attempted to enter the treasure room and succeed in making off with their spoils: a phantom thief known only as the Black Diamond. The identity of the thief has always been a complete enigma. Sometimes, they were big; other times, they were small. They could be covered in fur, feathers, or scales. The authorities captured and unmasked many phantom thieves, but the Black Diamond always remained elusive. Still, there were some things that were consistent with the Black Diamond. For one, they only targeted major crime and thief lords, specifically big names with wealthy amounts of cash and treasure. They also always sent out calling cards to their intended targets before performing the heist, leaving their targets in a frenzy trying to protect the treasure. The stolen treasure would then be sold off to some of the poorer communities, giving them a fair amount of money to buy their food and supplies. And lastly, the Black Diamond was always merciful: they could knock out their targets and their accomplices all they liked, but they never killed anyone.

Ashtar was only a small pup of ten years when the phantom thief struck. His grandfather tried to fend off the Black Diamond, but an unnamed accomplice struck him in a way that left him severely crippled...but not dead. Overcome with grief at her father’s disability, Ashford took her place as the head of the household, and had since vowed to find the Black Diamond and bring them to justice, even if they were working for the people.

Things only got much worse for Ashtar as the years went by. His mother dedicated all of her time to spoiling and pampering him, making him the heir instead of Tessa. This abuse would eventually form a rift between mother and son. His father tried to coax her out of it, but he had little position to argue. However, Ashtar found solace and comfort with his four sisters, especially Sara, and often coddled with her whenever he could. His only other confidant was Xiphos, an Aegislash who answered only to Ashtar, addressing him as “my lord”. Ashtar and Xiphos had a very strong and close bond that rivaled that of father and son.

When Ashtar was fourteen years old, Ashford brought him to the mines, where he was to pass a grueling test: find an elusive Jewel Pokémon and bring it back to her before nightfall. Should he pass the test, Ashtar would take over as the next heir to the household; if he failed, he would be disowned forever. With great reluctance, Ashtar took the elevator and began his search for the mythical Jewel Pokémon. Of course, the expedition was very tough, as the only Jewel Pokémon Ashtar knew about were the many Carbink that inhabited the mines. And these Carbink were not going to let him get away with whatever precious cargo he was bringing back! Still, he kept pressing onward until he came to the heart of the mines...and it was there he met the Jewel Pokémon he’d been looking for: a Mythical Pokémon called a Diancie!

That was when it hit him: the Diancie was the source of all the diamonds that the miners had been bringing out of the mines. If he brought the Diancie out of the mines, not only would she stop producing diamonds, but the town’s entire economy would also collapse. He and his family would fall into complete poverty, and possibly die out. Wracked with guilt and indecision, Ashtar began to doubt himself as the family’s heir. But the Diancie - whom Ashtar was free to call Spinel - made a compromise: she would create a substitute for Ashtar to bring back to his mother. Not only would he still pass the test, but the real Spinel would still remain in the mines to create more diamonds. The economy would be spared, and Ashtar would become the heir to the Shaleston family household.

Ashtar wasn’t entirely sure if the plan would work, but Spinel reassured him that he would be fine, even if he failed and wound up banished from the family name, allowing him to agree to it. Ashford was suspicious of the fake Spinel at first, but decided that Ashtar was worthy after all. Tessa, however, was furious as she revealed the real test, which was to take back a jewel that was summoned by the Diancie, not a real live Diancie! She then told her brother that Ashford had been acting very odd since Ashtar’s tenth birthday, and if he didn’t watch his tail, he’d end up like her. She then advised him to run away and to not return until things settled, and that she would take his place as the household’s proper heiress.

That night, Ashtar heavily contemplated on whether to stay and fulfill his duties, or leave and make something out of himself. To stay would mean ending up like his mother, as Tessa had warned...but to leave would mean losing everything, including his position. After a long while, he finally decided to take Tessa’s advice and leave. He only told his escape plan to Xiphos, who was upset at first but understood the young pup’s determination. Xiphos then proposed to watch out for Ashtar from within his shadow; Ashtar was hesitant at first, but then decided that, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to have someone watch out for him. Ashtar escaped through his bedroom window, left the town and into the Sandsong Desert, not once looking back.

After some travelling, Ashtar eventually ended up in Gambitville, where he noticed wanted posters of the elusive Black Diamond. It was also where he saved a Servine thief named Shard (for those who don’t know, Shard was the Servine who appeared in Ashtar’s hallucination back in my old Past Mission 7 entry, which is no longer canon). Although Shard was angry at Ashtar for ruining her solo heist, she was inwardly grateful for his help. She also revealed that the Black Diamond was her idol when she was an orphan, and wanted to be like them - steal from the rich to give to the poor.

The two of them left Gambitville to launch a heist on another manor in another town. The owner wasn’t quite as wealthy as Ashtar or his family, but still crazy rich nonetheless. It was a near-flawless heist, until the Sandslash who lived there recognized Ashtar as a son of Shaleston and attempted to call the authorities to bring him back home. That was the first time Xiphos showed himself to protect his lord, and the first time Ashtar and Xiphos unleashed their “Sacred Fire Sword” technique, frightening everyone off and allowing Ashtar and Shard to get away. Ashtar had no choice but to tell Shard that he was indeed a Shaleston, but Shard didn’t care; in her eyes, she only saw him as a regular Growlithe with the potential to become whoever he wished to be. That was also how she came to love him.

When Ashtar was sixteen, he and Shard decided to head to Tao Village. Shard had planned to go there so she would sign up for the Rogues Guild, hoping to sharpen her thieving skills for the betterment of herself and for the poor. Ashtar wasn’t too keen on stealing any more after his close call, but still decided that anywhere was better than the desert. They traveled throughout the desert until they came across a town that had been hit severely by poverty, save for one manor owned by a wealthy Delphox. Shard saw this as her chance to prove herself as a thief, although Ashtar chose to hang back.

Shard was swift and stealthy for most of the heist, but on her way out, she tripped a security alarm that brought the Delphox to her presence. Ashter jumped in to protect his friend, but the fox proved too powerful for the two of them. Shard then ordered Ashtar to get on a caravan and flee town while she distracted the enemy. Ashtar watched helplessly as the Servine engaged the Delphox in combat, seemingly disappearing within a whirl of flame. Once Ashtar arrived at Tao Village, he thought about becoming a Rogue to honor Shard’s memory. However, his chance encounter with Zola and her dream of becoming a great Rescuer like her idol Chill made him realize that there was another way for him to help out others.

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Ashtar finished his story with his head hung low. A single tear dripped down his cheek, a tear he didn’t even know was there to begin with. Zola reached over to wipe it off his face before letting out a sad sigh.

“All this time,” she whispered. “I didn’t realize how badly you were hurting inside. I mean, I knew you were pretty private about your life, but… I didn’t think you’d be that private.”

Ashtar sighed. “Yeah, I really should have told you this a long time ago,” he replied. “But I didn’t think I’d be able to tell it until now.” He turned to the three girls, each giving them a small smile. “But it feels good to finally let it out.”

Clover wrapped her arms around Ashtar’s neck and pulled him into a hug. “You may think you’re alone, but you’re not,” she said. “You’ve got other ‘mons who love you now. Your own team, your friends…” She gently tightened her grip a little. “Even Neon.”

“Clover’s right,” Zola added, putting a paw on Ashtar’s shoulder. “No matter what happens, we’ll always be here for you. After all, that’s what teammates and friends are for, right?”

Ashtar hesitated for a moment. Then, he smiled and nodded. “Right.”

Emily smiled as she wagged her tail. “Feel better, ya big dork?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Ashtar’s smile widened as he pulled his teammates in for a group hug. “Thanks, everyone.”

[ask-team-firelight]

Team Firelight Finale: Shine On, Firelight - Prologue II

With Zola and Clover's tale finished, Ashtar and Zola had a moment about being glad they ran into each other and formed a team together. Had Zola not thrown that Patrat at Ashtar that day and offered Ashtar to join the Rescuers Guild with her, things likely would have been different. Clover was also rather surprised that it was also how their first meeting went, and reminisced about how differently things would have ended up if she had been the one to form a team with Zola instead.

Next was Emily's turn to tell her tale…

Prologue, Part 2: Emily's Origins

Emily was one of Zola's cousins who came from the Whispering Peaks not too far off from Snowy Village. She did not bear the floral tail marking of a female Eevee, but the jagged tail marking of a male Eevee. This is because she was actually a he; his real name was Emile.

His parents, Shira the Glaceon and Argus the Absol, were community workers who enjoyed helping out the poor and needy. They also didn't understand at first why Emile was more drawn to feminine things and insisted on calling himself a girl named Emily, even though that wasn't the case. It was only when he reached five years of age did reality hit them both, and they did everything they could to love and support him. Also, Argus always dreamed about having a girl in the family, so it worked out for the both of them.

One day, Emily and her family received a surprise visit from some family members: Zola and her father, Kuro. It was revealed then and there that Zola and Emily are cousins, as Kuro was Shira's half-brother through their biological father (both of them also have other full and half-siblings, but they're not important). Shira gave Zola a warm welcome, and a much colder one to Kuro, leaving their children confused...though they said nothing of this.

However, life at the Whispering Peaks wasn't always peaceful. There were other children living there as well, but some of them often picked on Emily because of her heritage. The bullying only got worse when her younger brother, an Absol named Nathan, hatched. The biggest offender was a Vulpix named Serena, who would torment the siblings for days on end. Serena thought that it was a shame that Emily had to be born to a harbinger of disaster, and relentlessly mocked her for her heritage.

The day came when Emily finally had enough of the bullying. She made a vow that she would find a job and a new place for her family to move out of the peaks. After saying her good-byes, she set out on a long and harrowing journey. She eventually ended up in Tao Village, where she reunited with her cousin Zola once more, joining the Rescuers in the process.

[ask-team-firelight]

Team Firelight Finale: Shine On, Firelight - Prologue I

After Ashtar's return to the present, he found himself shaken from the near-death incident. However, after some consolation from his teammates, he gradually began to return to his old self. Zola and Clover were finally reunited (with Clover even joining as Team Firelight's true final member), Ashtar was able to reconcile with Zola, and all four of them shared a group hug, happy that they were all safe and sound.

Two weeks had passed since then, and the team was still recovering from everything that had happened. They decided to pass some time by telling stories to each other...specifically, their backstories, since no one had ever gotten around to telling each other's pasts. Zola and Clover decided to begin telling their shared story, since they grew up together as kids.

Prologue, Part 1: Zola and Clover's Origins

Zola was born in the northern region of Sonata Forest to her Zoroark mother, Briar, and her Umbreon father, Kuro. At age two, however, a fire broke out in the forest by a bandit attack. Luckily, Zola's family was able to escape safely, but by the time the fire was extinguished, there was nothing left for them. Fearing for the safety of his wife and child, Kuro insisted on moving to Tao Woods, where Zola would live with Laurel, her Zoroark grandmother, and Cypress, her Midnight Lycanroc grandfather.

However, life in Tao Woods started off difficult. When Zola was five, Briar contracted an illness that spread through the village. Despite the doctors' best efforts to heal her, the sickly Zoroark eventually passed away, leaving her family devastated. The night afterwards, Zola cried alone for her mother. She was approached by a Scorbunny named Clover, who also admitted that she had no mother, either; instead, she had been raised by her two fathers, Rafael the Cinderace and William the Machamp. The two began talking about their dreams, both of which centered around a desire to help out others. Zola began feeling more comfortable around Clover, and the two became best friends ever since.

However, Zola's family life became even more strained, especially with her father Kuro, who often took on odd jobs that took him out of town. Eventually, he received a job that took him far away. Although Zola told him not to go, Kuro knew he had no choice in the matter. Before leaving however, he left his lucky scarf to Zola, promising her that he would come back as soon as he was done. Zola waited for him...but as the years went by, she eventually came to the conclusion that he was never coming back. This feeling of abandonment would cause her to have violent mood swings that manifested themselves in the form of the move Burning Jealousy.

Clover decided to step in and help Zola with her temper. One night, when everyone else was asleep, she took Zola out to the middle of the woods. Her intention was to have Zola hit her as much as she could until she could no longer do so. Zola was hesitant to hurt her best friend, but Clover calmly reassured her that it was the only way she knew that would help Zola harness her Burning Jealousy and control her mood swings. Zola began to unleash her Burning Jealousy on Clover repeatedly, and Clover took every hit she could. Eventually, after several hours, Zola's Burning Jealousy calmed down to a point where she could actually harness its power for good.

Unfortunately, the duo soon found themselves set upon by a vicious and territorial Talonflame. The two girls tried to flee, not wanting to end up as midnight snacks, but the Scorching Pokémon caught Zola in its grip, causing her to scream for help. Her cries reached the ears of the adult villagers, including her grandparents, and they all banded together to save Zola and Clover. The ensuing chaos forced the Talonflame to release its hold on Zola...but not before tearing out a part of her ear with its beak. That is how Zola ended up with a nick out of her left ear.

Despite being shaken by the near-death experience, Zola resolved to conquer her fears by going into the forest every night. It was during one of these explorations that she had her chance encounter with Chill, the Minccino who ran the Rescuers Guild. Seeing him act so cool, even under pressure, inspired Zola to train harder and better. It eventually reached a point where she decided to become a great rescuer one day! Meanwhile, Clover herself had also been working hard on accomplishing her own dream: to one day become a theater performer with the purpose of making everyone smile. This was something she always wanted to do ever since Rafael passed away in an accident. At first, she only did so to cheer up William...but as the years went by, she eventually decided to try and make others smile.

Once Zola and Clover had reached the age of sixteen, the two of them went their separate ways. Zola headed to the nearby Tao Village where the Rescuers Guild was situated, and Clover traveled to the far-off Alomomola City, where she eventually enlisted herself in Duke's theatre troupe and met her crush, Ren the Kirlia. However, the two of them made a promise that they would one day meet again, and went on their ways with that promise in mind.

Zola had been able to achieve her dream first, but not without some difficulties. Those difficulties came in the form of a rather stubborn Patrat, who only thought Zola was pretending to be a Rescuer. That was when Zola's mood swings returned. Yet, instead of burning the Patrat with Burning Jealousy, she ended up grabbing the Patrat and tossing him into the air...right at a passerby Growlithe. While the throw knocked the Patrat completely unconscious, Zola was able to wake the Growlithe up, apologizing for her actions. She learned that the Growlithe's name was Ashtar, and was able to convince him to form a Rescuers team with her.

Thus, Team Firelight was born! And the rest, as they say, is history.

[ask-team-firelight]

>>> READ THE FINALE HERE!!! <<<

Summary: After the time-travel incident, Team Firelight find themselves facing their biggest challenge yet, as their latest mission takes them deep into Crystal Dune City, Ashtar's place of birth from within the Sandsong Desert. Secrets will be unburied, new villains will attack at every corner, and unexpected allies will provide assistance in the shifting sands as Zola, Ashtar, Emily and Clover must confront not only their mission objectives, but also their worst demons once and for all!

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This is a sort of finale I whipped up to celebrate Team Firelight's tenth anniversary, as well as a way to give them the proper send-off they deserved. Even though their story has been retconned to hell and back after PMD-E closed down thanks to my three-part Arc 2 Summary, I still wanted to write this as something I would personally enjoy reading. The PMD-E reunion collaboration was the perfect push I needed to tell this final tale, and I still hope you'll enjoy it.

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Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as 'me' or 'kin' nor as your characters, as these designs already have characters attached to them and are not random Pokémon! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!

[ask-team-firelight]

(Please do NOT repost nor remove the caption! Do NOT tag as 'me' or 'kin' nor as your character(s)! Do NOT use or redistribute anywhere without my written permission!)

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Team Firelight is here to celebrate this year's Pride Month!

Info under the cut.

Zola identifies as asexual and demiromantic, mainly due to her being a total dunce when it comes to romance. She'd much rather prefer the companionship of others than commit herself to a long-lasting relationship, and has little to no drive. That being said, she'll only really commit herself to a relationship if she feels an emotional connection with her significant other, though she won't say no to a little bit of PDA...especially cuddling and smooching.

Ashtar, being the only straight man of the team, also identifies as straight in terms of sexuality. However, he is also very supportive of the LGBTQIA+ community, which is why he has no problems with his older sister Tessa being in a relationship with another girl. As for Ashtar himself, he's actually pretty picky - his only preference is older women who aren't afraid to handle themselves! Anyone younger than him automatically gets the little sister treatment from him. Better not to ask why.

Emily was born with the jagged tail marking of a male Eevee instead of the floral tail marking of a female Eevee. So, for the longest time, her parents thought she was a boy and treated her like one. Later on, however, they discovered that she identified as a girl instead, and after a quick name change and a lot of love and support, she felt more like herself with her new identity. Despite this, Emily will tend to flip-flop between her current name and her original name of Emile every now and again, as well as her gender. She's also very adaptable when it comes to relationships - whether her partner is male, female, non-binary, genderfluid or has no gender at all, it really doesn't matter for her...as long as they treat her with respect. As a result of this, Emily identifies as pansexual.

Clover has dated a couple of times when not working on her performances over in Duke's theater troupe. Sadly, they tend to not last very long before they figure her out. She hopes that someday she'll find someone who will sweep her off her feet, just like in the stories she's read. Clover's bisexual identity has allowed her to be flexible with just about anyone - boys, girls, and everyone else in-between. She does seem to have a slight bias towards boys, however.

[ask-team-firelight]

Ten Years of PMD-Explorers

...Or, at least, the first and original PMD-Explorers that was run by a certain group of individuals who, for the good of anyone and everyone reading this, will not be mentioned by name, especially when you take into account that at least three of these individuals are no longer on DA (or Tumblr, unless I'm mistaken). But this journal is not about them, but rather my own experiences in the group.

To start off, I was invited to join a large collab project that commemorated the 10th anniversary of PMD-E...a collab that I readily accepted. And after watching the resulting video a couple of times, I looked back at the memories and experiences I had in the group that taught me so much, especially on how to improve my art.

More under the cut.

The team I submitted to the group was a Rescuers team called Team Firestar (now Team Firelight), consisting of Zola the Zorua and Ashtar the Growlithe. Prior to them, however, I had also thought up of other Pokémon, including a Drilbur, a Dratini, a Sweaddle, and even a Sandile. In the end, however, Zola and Ashtar ended up winning out, and I'm glad they did looking back.

I'll admit, whatever story I had brought in was nothing more than an experimental hot mess that only served to bring up more and more confusion...though nothing like the drama that unfolded as well as the things I found out about the founders once I was at an age where I was mature enough to handle it. As for my own hot mess, I immediately stored everything that was PMD-E related in storage once the group shut down - not for fear of backlash, but out of complete embarrassment. It wouldn't be until last year when I decided to take some of the deviations out of storage. And by some, I mean the old app (after removing Hunter's slot, of course) as well as all of the Arc 1 submissions I did. But since that ended up creating a big continuity rift, I also wrote a three-part summary of what could have happened in Arc 2 had I been more experienced with storytelling while keeping the old submissions permanently in storage.

And if I've said this once before, I'll say it again: Hunter should NEVER HAVE COME ALONG AND JOINED THE TEAM IN THE FIRST PLACE! I guess if I was a bit better at writing, I would've at least had her tag along as a personal NPC, but still! She never fit anywhere into the dynamic as I originally thought she did, and her being part of the team only made things worse from there! Adding Hunter to the team was the WORST mistake I've ever made, and it should NEVER have happened at all! That's exactly why Team Firelight will, forever and always, be Zola, Ashtar, Emily, and Clover!

Anyway, fast-forward to 2016, when I left another PMD group due to personal reasons and converted the characters I submitted there into real, original characters. Although I was satisfied with converting my characters into something new and different, part of me still wanted to start from scratch with my PMD-E characters. I discovered another group called Tales of Tabira, and considered entering Zola and Ashtar again like old times...except this time, I decided to rename the team as "Firelight".

Well, I didn't enter Zola and Ashtar in ToT, but I liked the team name - to the point where it actually stuck as a permanent team name. Of course, there was still the matter of writing a new story for Hunter. That was when I remembered how I kept drawing her as a Sylveon in PMDU, and how much I loved seeing her as one. But she couldn't be a Sylveon in one continuity and a Gastly/Haunter in another. So, I thought, "Why not have Hunter be a former Sylveon in life, but then have her reincarnate as a Gastly after death?" I also wanted to join Tales of Tabira, which was around the time I was in my second year in college.

That was when I came up with the best, possible solution: to put Hunter, and only Hunter, in Tales of Tabira, where she partnered up with a grumpy Autumn Forme Deerling who only went by Locke Havenheart. Hence, Team Flowering Hearts was born! And you know what? It actually worked! With Hunter on a team of her own and with no way for her to ruin everything like she did before, I could freely focus on Team Firelight's story (especially Zola's)...which, of course, meant retconning the whole damn trainwreck it ended up being.

...Of course, there was still the matter of figuring out how to write Olivia (the Noibat) in. Olivia ended up joining during PMD-E's final moments of closure, and became a member of Team Firelight even as a personal NPC. However, the only reason I wanted her on the team was out of a need to have a Noivern on the team (can you really blame me? I just love my boombox bat dragon - I still do), and to force people to forget that Hunter even existed in the PMD-E canon in the first place! That might have been a selfish desire back then, but now I know that I made the right call! Hunter belongs only in her own universe with Locke, and nowhere else.

Last year, however, I slowly began to realize that Olivia didn't fit into Team Firelight's dynamic very much either. She just showed up at the last minute and that was pretty much it. So, when Sword and Shield came around, I decided that it was time to rearrange and reassemble Team Firelight once and for all. At the time I was retconning Zola's backstory, I also came up with several new members to permanently replace Olivia (and Hunter, by extension). They included a Shiny Rookidee, a Shiny Toxel, and even a Dreepy who used to be a Kirlia. Then came Clover, a Raboot who was born out of a need to have a childhood friend for Zola - someone who would inspire Zola to become the Rescuer she is today. I decided to stick Clover to the team, just to get a feel for her...and the more I did, the more I realized what I was missing all along! Hence why I ended up having Clover become the true fourth and final member of Team Firelight!

...So, where did joining PMD-E lead me to, ten years later? It led to me making a lot of new friends (some of which I now consider a close family), a partner (who I would still love to meet in person, but shush!), and a new found confidence in my art style. I don't think I would have been where I am today had I not joined PMD-E.

Anyway, I think this journal's gone on long enough, so I'm just going to conclude with a happy 10th anniversary to PMD-E!

[decibelcoatl]

Believe it or not, I was part of the @pmdereunion mega-collab project. This was done to celebrate the 10th anniversary of PMD-Explorers, a group where artists came together to create their own art and stories.

The piece you see here features my own Team Firelight (formerly Team Firestar) as well as @sanngot's Team Trample. I'm glad I was able to find the opportunity to draw my babies again!

[ask-pmd-spectrum]

Accessory Material Ramblings

Okay… I’m going to ramble for a moment because talking to someone on skype got me going about the ideas in my head towards accessories on pokemon and how the material would determine it’s uses.

Items created from the wool of mareep or other electric type’s fur, would generate more static electricity then other materials. That means those items would be extremely uncomfortable for water or flying types to wear but it would be very enjoyable for electric types. ( Example, Eva’s scarf is made out of that material so it creates extra electricity she can absorb )

Materials made from the fur/hair of fire types (like Ninetales and Arcanine) are resistant to heat and flames. So they are commonly worn by fire types so their attacks don’t accidentally light the cloth on fire. They’d also retain heat very well to the point of always being warm, so they could be uncomfortable for ice types.

Ice type fur would have some similar properties to fire type, but instead of taking in heat and always being warm, they’d be cool to the touch but would also keep body heat from being lost. So it could be worn by an ice type and would keep their cold core body temperature from rising in the heat, but other mons could wear it and be protected from the cold.

Materials from water types wouldn’t absorb water, and there for could be worn while swimming without running the risk of the item becoming heavier and dragging a mon down. Water dropplets that hit them would also roll right off, keeping the fabric relatively dry.

Things made from fairy sources would weaken the effects of dragon type moves. Example, if you have a cloak made from Whimsicott fluff, a hit to the back by a dragon type attack would be weaker (not completely blocked since immunity is lost, it simply has a resistance).

Material from flying types (both feathers and fur) would be much lighter then the same amount of fur from a different type. That makes it a useful fabric for small mons, flying types, or those who rely heavily on speed for combat.

Dark type material would absorb more light then any other type. Example, a black cloak made from dark type fur will ALWAYS be a darker black then any other type making it a favorite for sneaky mons. It would also weaken psychic abilities (again can’t completely block) but wearing a hood made of that material would make it harder to read your mind.

Poison type materials would be rarely used, thanks to the risk of it making the mon who’s wearing it sick. But it is highly resistant to acid, and unlike other materials wouldn’t melt or wear away.

While not used for fabric, scales from dragon types could be used for things similar to armor. Shed skin from steel types could also be used in a similar matter.

All of these different type materials would be more expensive to get a hold of due to their different uses and making things from them would require more skill. Many items would instead be made with fur from normal type fur, which would be cheaper, but still able to last the test of time as long as it’s taken care of. There are of course some exceptions, like-

Items made from the fur of Furfrou would be a very durable material. It would help defend the wearer from physical attacks slightly (similar to Furfrou’s ability, though not as good. Instead of halves damage more it cuts damage by a third).

Of course there are probably more uses that I haven’t really thought about, and I’m not sure if it could even be used in the group without it becoming abused. But I just wanted to get all this out, because this kind of thing has actually been rolling in my head since PMD-E and I was wondering what others thought of it and if it made sense to them.